


Our Christmas

by prettywordsyouleft



Category: B.A.P, EXO (Band), GOT7, VIXX, Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas With Family, Christmas with Children, Cliche, F/M, First Christmas, First Meetings, Just Married, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-16 07:24:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettywordsyouleft/pseuds/prettywordsyouleft
Summary: I wanted to spend Christmas with my biases and decided to go ahead and make a series about it.Our Christmas will be a five part series that starts from first meeting someone to the magic of Christmas through the eyes of children! Each day from the 10th to the 14th (NZST) of December I will be posting a part in the series at 2pm.





	1. Meeting (Minhyun)

You had always dreamed of having that  _fairytale_ Christmas experience. You know, the ones that you religiously watched every year on Netflix, cringing at how cliché and yet wonderful they were. The kind where the hard-working main protagonist literally meets a prince and they fall in love. Or the ones where making one mistake would lead to a series of events that would pay off in the end. The movies where you knew everything was far too good to be true, and yet the magic of them sucked you in every time.

It was foolish to dream of meeting someone who would change your world on Christmas Day. That was something that only happened in stories and not in real life. At least, nothing like that ever happened in your life. Everything you had, you had to work extremely hard to get. Not that this was anything bad of course, there was immense satisfaction when your hard efforts paid off.

But you still liked to dream of meeting some handsome prince in some clumsy setting, which was full of far too many smiles and the itching for love confessions. You fantasised over what he would say to you, how he would fall in love with you entirely. It was funny, you didn’t believe in love at first sight, yet you would always dream of it, enveloped in this wintry fairytale that Santa himself had plucked the right guy from the stars and gifted him to you for Christmas.

It was all so unfathomable, and yet, it actually happened to you.

 

“Excuse me!” you cried, waving your hand up and down as the taxi you had hailed was snapped up by some rude person right in front of you. Despite the merriness in the air, you cursed a few words as the car took off before you could do anything about it, splashing dirty slush at your new boots in the process. It was looking to be a very disgruntled Christmas this year.

You had just arrived at the airport ready to fly home for Christmas, only to find out that your seat had somehow been double booked and they couldn’t help you until tomorrow. With Christmas being  _today_ , tomorrow just wasn’t going to cut it. Your plans had been thousands of miles away from here, and as you waited for another taxi to arrive you scrambled to think of what you could do instead. You loved Christmas, it was so full of joy and laughter, but everyone you knew already had their own plans with their own families. You didn’t think you could just turn up anywhere, and although it was early morning still, there wouldn’t be anyone in your life here that you could go and open presents with.

As you slid into the back seat of the taxi, you sighed heavily. This would be your first Christmas alone.

“Can I share this?” a voice asked and you glanced up into the face of a man who stood by the door you were about to close. You blinked a couple of times at his earnest expression, and you were pretty sure your jaw had fallen slightly ajar.

He was gorgeous.

Blinking out of your stupor, you nodded softly. “Of course, I’m heading to the west side of the city, will that suit you?”

“I’m heading that way too, thank you.”

He got into the car and for a moment you were quietly surveying him out of the corner of your eye. He was tall, and his side profile was stunning. You bit at your lip lightly as you realised that he was the type of man you would see starring in the movies that you had been watching last night. His handsome features would make for a perfect prince, and as he felt your gaze on him, he shot you a warm smile.

It made you blush and divert your eyes quickly before your mind rushed away with you any further.

“Thank you,” he mentioned softly and you nodded again, accepting his gratitude. “My flight was double booked so I have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Mine too,” you mentioned as you quickly looked back at him and his eyes widened. “Somehow there was a glitch in the system.”

“It affected you as well?” he asked with a sad sigh, shaking his head. “Not a very good start to Christmas, is it?”

“No, my family aren’t from here.”

“Neither.”

“Friends?” you enquired and he shrugged. It was surprising with how natural the conversation was flowing between you and this handsome stranger. Even though you had something in common to discuss, it still baffled you that you were so at ease. You weren’t outgoing by nature, and whilst you could easily hold a conversation, you weren’t normally so forthcoming.

It had to be the festive spirit in the air. Or the fact that he was ridiculously handsome. Maybe it was both.

“Most are with their families today.”

“Same here.”

He glanced at you then, his eyebrows knitting together. “You’re going to be alone this Christmas too?”

“Seems like it.”

“What a shame, I hope we can both find some way to turn our day around.”

The rest of the ride was comfortably silent, though you were doing more than just staring out the window like he was. You were taking as many opportunities as you could to gaze at him, to decipher why he had captured you so easily. He wasn’t your usual type, not that you were sure you knew  _what_  your type was. But you knew if you had seen him in any other way in life, you wouldn’t be this affected. He was far out of your league and if you had passed him on the street, you would have simply thanked the Gods above for a good view and carried on in life. It didn’t help that he seemed to have a pleasant personality as well. He seemed too good to be real.

You had even secretly pinched at your skin to see if you were dreaming. The barely audible squeak that left you confirmed that you weren’t delusional. All the same, you told yourself firmly you were simply being a kind citizen in sharing a taxi with someone. Once you got out of this car, you wouldn’t see him again.

This thought made you sombrely look out the window for the rest of the ride.

Thanking and paying the driver your fare when he arrived at your destination, you then turned to the man beside you who looked surprised. You dismissed the reaction and bowed lightly at him in your chair. “It was nice meeting you. I hope your Christmas improves.”

And then you got out of the car, counting the steps it took you as you rounded the vehicle and retrieved your small suitcase from the trunk. You then climbed up onto the sidewalk and frowned when the vehicle didn’t move off immediately. Instead, the tall man got out as well, retrieving his bag and stood in front of you.

You blinked once.

“Here,” he said, offering you some cash. You merely blinked again. “We ironically were heading to the same place. So I asked the driver to take half the fare from me so I could share with you. Only fair since I hijacked your ride, right?”

You blinked once more.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” you breathed as your mind finally caught up with the new information. The handsome man had another coincidence with you today and you  _weren’t_  alright. You were starting to race ahead in your romantic mind and you needed to settle it down immediately. You weren’t some female protagonist in a movie, after all. But then you realised you had spoken out loud by the dejection embedded into his umber eyes. “No! I mean, no, you didn’t have to.”

“It only seemed fair,” he insisted, pushing the money towards you and smiling with relief. “I’m glad to be able to do this for you.”

“You are?”

He nodded. “Of course, it seems our luck today hasn’t been the best, yet you were kind enough to give me a ride, so I think things might be looking up.”

He then glanced up and noticed the skies had started to sprinkle down with a light flurry of snow. He then grinned at you. “See, we’re even getting blessed with the first snow of the day. But it is cold, so you should head indoors and keep warm.”

“Right,” you mumbled, wondering how much luck you had used up to get this far with him.

He walked off from you for only a few steps as you grumbled internally about Lady Luck not blessing you further, when he stopped and turned to walk back to you. There was a pink tinge across his cheeks and you wondered if that was due to the cold air or something else. He then smiled again before speaking. “Is it rude of me to ask what your name is?”

“No, its fine to,” you encouraged with a shy smile, before uttering your name and asking him the same back.

“Minhyun. Hwang Minhyun.”

Even his name sounded regal enough. You envisioned changing his long tan coat for a royal outfit and grinned dazedly to yourself. You wondered how much of a fool you could be with your fantasies today. So far, you seemed to be losing touch with reality the longer you were in his company.

“Y/N?” he said again and you blinked a couple of times, realising Minhyun must have been calling you for some time.

“Oh! Sorry.”

“I’m going to head off now, please take care.”

“Of course!” you replied with more enthusiasm than you needed, and watched as Minhyun diverted into a coffee shop nearby. Would it be too much if you did the same thing? It was cold out and a hot chocolate would definitely warm you up, but, well it  _was_  a bit too much.

You nodded to yourself, you had been blessed enough so far with your events today. Now it was time to return to reality.

 

After a couple of hours in your apartment, you realised you didn’t have anything to eat for dinner that would make you feel like it was still Christmas. You had opened your presents you had at home with your parents on FaceTime and you watched some of their festivities until you got a little homesick. After that, you had watched another movie about meeting a Christmas prince which felt a little too close to the morning’s events and left you daydreaming Minhyun in the position of the main character.

You were a lost cause and hoped you would soon forget all about the handsome man and his feline shaped eyes.

With the new task of needing food, you headed out to the closest grocery store, grabbing a basket upon entering, and then looked down at the list you had jotted down before you left your apartment. You were trying to reach for the small pack of turkey breasts that you had found in the meat section when a hand moved over and grabbed it with ease.

“Hey! That’s mine!” you cried as you pivoted to see who was taking it from you, noticing it was now held out to you by someone you were certain you had just conjured up. Did you really fall that hard for Minhyun that you were now imagining him on the faces of others around you?

“Here you go then,” he mentioned with a playful smile and you gasped, realising he was  _actually_ there. What were the odds?!

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought-”

“Funny meeting you here,” he cut in with another smile and placed the meat packet into your basket for you. “Planning dinner for one?”

You nodded. “And you?”

“The same, I couldn’t find anyone to make plans with.”

You held back the urge to offer to make some with him instead.

“What will you make with that?” he enquired. You looked down at the turkey and smiled brightly.

“My parents choose to eat turkey on Christmas every year. I have my mother’s infamous recipe on how to roast it to perfection.”

Minhyun’s eyes lit up. “Oh really, what will you pair with it?”

“I’m not so sure yet,” you murmured and Minhyun smiled, tilting his shopping basket towards you. Your eyes widened, was he suggesting what you thought he was?

“I know we only met today, and I hope this isn’t rude to ask. I genuinely just don’t want us to be alone this Christmas. Do you want a share a meal with me?”

You were nodding before he finished his sentence and Minhyun chuckled, a light blush crossing his otherwise satisfied face. You finished up the grocery shopping together and it surprised you at how easy it was to relate to him as you picked out the items you would need for the meal. By the time you were at the checkout, you honestly felt like you were spending time with a friend, not someone you met for the first time earlier that morning.

And as he walked with you back to your apartment so you could access the recipe you had at home, you were rather surprised when he stopped dead in the entrance of your apartment complex.

“Another coincidence,” he murmured softly, and you watched as he shook his head a little, stunned by whatever he was experiencing. Minhyun realised you were waiting for some kind of explanation and pointed to the building across the street. “I uh, live there.”

“You’re kidding?!”

He shook his head as he grinned. “All day long, I’ve kind of felt like this was all really amazing but very cliché? With how bad our luck was in the beginning but with you, I feel like luck is on my side again. It’s rather surreal, Y/N, but I have to admit, I kind of like it.”

So you weren’t the only one thinking this was something magical as well.

“You mean to say we’ve probably crossed paths with each other in the past all this time, but because it’s Christmas we suddenly get the opportunity to meet?”

Minhyun laughed. “Like a Christmas miracle?”

“This is getting all too farfetched. I need to stop watching Netflix,” you admitted as Minhyun held the door open to your apartment complex for you to enter. Once inside, you both shared a knowing smile.

“Or we could watch another terribly cliché movie tonight and see how well we match up?” he offered as you both headed for the elevator and you couldn’t help but grin.

“You do know most of those end with a happily ever after, right?”

Minhyun nodded casually, his eyes on the numbers of the floor flashing by and not on you. “Who’s to say this meeting doesn’t have some kind of magical importance behind it too?”

“You’re a hopeless romantic?” you wondered and he smiled to himself. “Really?”

“I’ll let you know my answer after this infamous turkey. After all, I need to make sure I’m going to enjoy next Christmas with you too, you know.”

You couldn’t help but feel giddy at his forward suggestion, and as the night wore on you decided it wasn’t that bad to dream of magic at Christmas time. Sure, Minhyun was no prince with a large castle with all the bells and whistles. But you were a modern city girl anyway, and apartment life suited you just fine. What you did find was the longer you got to know him; you definitely started to believe in lust at first sight.

And you couldn’t wait for the love part to eventuate with Minhyun, either.


	2. Together (Daehyun)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
> 
> 
>  
> 
> I wanted to spend Christmas with my biases and decided to go ahead and make a series about it.
> 
> Our Christmas will be a five part series that starts from first meeting someone to the magic of Christmas through the eyes of children! Each day from the 10th to the 14th (NZST) of December I will be posting a part in the series at 2pm.

Rolling over in your bed, you stretched out and smiled to yourself at the sleeping man beside you. If someone had told you this time last year that you would fall madly in love with Jung Daehyun and wake up on Christmas morning with him beside you, well, you wouldn’t have believed them.

Back then you had no interest in dating  _anyone_ , after all.

You wanted to make a name for yourself, build a career that you could feel accomplished with. Getting out and socialising was the last thing on your mind, you had no time for it. You were always staying back late at the office, drawing up new sketches to show your manager in the next ideas meeting. And then when you had been promoted, you were run off your feet with all the added work that came with it.

Dating, where would you fit that in? You had simply believed you would find love later on in life with someone as equally advanced in their career and ready to step into the next part of their life with you. Someone stable, independent, and calm.

Instead, Daehyun crashed into your world, literally.

 

**~Ten Months Earlier~**

_“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed as he opened the door to your car, his eyes washing over you for any sign of injury. “Are you alright? For some reason, my brakes jammed and I—, are you safe to get out? It might be best, here let me help you.”_

_He didn’t stop talking to breathe and that was all you could focus on doing yourself._

_Inhale, exhale._

_The sudden force of your car shunting forward as you waited at the set of lights had made you drop your iced frappe somewhere onto the floor, and you were aware your legs were now cold from it. He was still talking as you slowly looked up at him, but now his words only seemed jumbled up. Why was he staring at you with such a worried expression? He had caused this; he didn’t have the right to be worried for you. Or did he? Should you have demanded he worry for you if he hadn’t? After all, you would be driving off from these set of lights if he hadn’t of rear-ended you. But why did the emotion make you feel so uncomfortable? And what was he even talking about?_

_“Let’s get you to a hospital,” he said and finally took a heavy breath, his eyes deep with concern. “I’ll call for one.”_

_“Why do I need to go?” you asked softly, and he paused in pulling his phone up to his ear. The suggestion suddenly made you panic and you felt yourself over for whatever injury he could see that you couldn’t yet feel._

_“You’re in shock,” he mentioned firmly and you blinked at his words._

_Reality seemed to dawn on you then and you gasped. “I don’t have **time**  to be in shock.”_

_“What? Listen, you **are**  in shock. You’re pale and you’re–”_

_“Whether I am or not is irrelevant. My boss–”_

_“Will understand you have been in a car accident,” he intervened and the look within his eyes made you pause in any rebuttal. Why was he forcing this? And why were you listening? He helped you out of the car and began to call for assistance all the while you attempted meek excuses, each and every one being shut down by him._

_You had to admit, whoever he was, he seemed to have a good way of directing you. As you waited at the hospital for a scan he had insisted upon, you wondered what type of job he had. Was he some kind of executive? A head of department manager? Someone who owned his own business? He wasn’t wearing a suit though, and as you stared at his distressed jeans you attempted to guess if they were store bought with the holes or not._

_Not that clothing or position always made a person powerful; you were just so used to this kind of judgement. In the world you came from, it was almost second nature to evaluate how much of your precious time you should allocate to someone by how they appeared. And looking at what you saw, well, it conflicted with his direct nature or the way he handled everything during the car accident._

_You were confused and your head hurt, but that could very well be from the fact that you had hit it in the accident._

_“They said you’re going to be sore for a few days, but the scans are clear. I’ve paid for your visit. Look, I’m really sorry this all happened, and if anything else is a problem to solve outside of insurance, here’s my information. I actually have to get to work; do you want me to call you a cab or something?”_

_You shook your head and smiled lightly, accepting his business card. “I can manage.”_

_“Please, if you ever need to, don’t hesitate. I caused this, and I want to make sure it doesn’t affect you any further than it has.”_

_“Thank you.”_

_And with that, he smiled widely, waved and walked off, almost banging into a patient who he apologised profusely to before turning and waving again. You couldn’t help but smile at how endearing he was and then glanced down at the card in your hands, blinking slowly._

_You hadn’t looked at the card as he handed it to you, but now that he was gone, you wondered why you had never once asked his name. Had he mentioned it? You were sure he had several times, but you were too much in shock to register it. The card had a name of a chicken delivery service on it and for a moment you were confused. Flipping it over you found his information scrawled on the back._

_You honestly had no idea how much Jung Daehyun would change your world from that day forward._

 

“Okay, you are in charge of sorting out the tinsel, and I’m in charge in organising the ornaments!”

You glanced at Daehyun’s smiling face and rolled your eyes. “Says who?”

“Me, you most  _handsome_  boyfriend!” he chimed and you couldn’t hide your own smile. He chuckled and hugged you tightly. “See, you can’t resist me. Now, tinsel! Go go go!”

He was always like this with you. It didn’t matter how many months had travelled between you both, he’d always directed you around. You were the one with the job that called the shots. You were normally the firm, authority figure in the office.

But at home, Daehyun had you running around doing all his biddings.

It wasn’t that he was naturally a bossy human or anything. And he didn’t do it to get  _out_  of things. Not often, anyway. It was just in his nature to lead you well. You hadn’t realised when you first met him that this behaviour would become something you secretly enjoyed. Your whole life you had been left on your own two feet to make judgements. And you had worked to the bone to get to the point you were at now.

But when it came to the man you loved, well, you would literally do anything for him.

“Always bossing me about,” you chided as you set to work all the same, pouting for effect. Just because you liked it, didn’t mean you were always silent in your obliging behaviour though.

“You’re just so good at sorting things out unlike me,” he oozed and you rolled your eyes again. “Plus, setting up our first tree together like this is important, right? It means we’re celebrating one of the most special times of the year as a couple. We need to remember this, and make the tree look perfect.”

He had won you over right then, a giddy smile crossing onto your face. There was something magical all the time when it came to Jung Daehyun, but this festive season had been anticipated by you as the colder months grew closer. You had dreamed of setting up the tree in your first shared apartment and decorating your home together. Baking cookies and cakes to eat as soon as it was cool enough to, and wrapping presents whilst he sang to you.

Oh, that voice.

You hadn’t expected Daehyun to be a musician back when you met him, and you never had time for music past it being background noise in your car. But that voice had been the next step to getting here.

 

**~Eight Months Earlier~**

_You walked down the steps into the less than desirable venue, checking your phone for the umpteenth time to ensure you had the correct address. When Daehyun had mentioned you could finally catch him today, you had jumped at the chance to. There had been an issue between the insurance companies and you had come to solve the problem, now two months after the accident. Daehyun had been out of the country so he had said, and then he was busy with work. You didn’t know what he did, but you had half assumed your destination would be a chicken shop given the card he had left with you._

_Instead, you had entered a bar._

_You hadn’t ever been clubbing, and you didn’t understand the need for endless rounds of drinking either. You were so disconnected from the world of socialising outside of work that you felt your mood darken upon entering the venue._

_There was a surprising amount of bustle once you were inside. Everyone seemed to have tasks to occupy themselves with, darting in front of you as you walked in, as if you were in their way. You started to feel uneasy the further you walked inside, wondering where you could find Daehyun in this environment._

_You eventually found him up on the stage with four others, all invested in a conversation that seemed rather serious. You saw his hands directing the words he was speaking and let out a small smile, it reminded you when he had flailed them about as he spoke to you during the ride to the hospital._

_Some things never changed._

_“Sorry, you can’t enter yet, we’re setting up,” a woman’s voice mentioned and you blinked away from your reverie, smiling politely at her. She didn’t return the gesture._

_“I’m here to meet with Mr Jung actually. He knows I was coming.”_

_“Right, well he’s pretty busy setting up for the show,” she responded monotonously, giving your outfit a once-over. You felt your cheeks flush with colour at her casual disdain, and you looked down to see what was out of place with your striped pants suit. The only thing you could find was it didn’t match the décor of this establishment or the people within it. Normally such an outfit insisted on grabbing attention. Here, it was valueless. You sighed and nodded to yourself._

_“I’ll wait.”_

_“Suit yourself.” She walked off with a shrug and you turned back to the stage, attempting to grab his attention, feeling rather out of place to demand it from him. You foolishly waved your hand about but his eyes were glued to a sheet of paper in front of him, not noticing the movement from you at all. You went to step closer, only to stop suddenly when two men lifting a large piece of stage equipment walked right in your path towards him. You groaned, finding a stray seat near the wall and sat down._

_You could spare Daehyun twenty minutes._

_An hour later and you had barely gotten two words out of him. **Oh hey**. What were you meant to do with them? You had gone to reply in greeting, slightly dazed by the genuine smile he shot you as he passed you by and spoke to someone who seemed to be producing the show. You were left hanging and you knew you could have turned and stomped out right then. But something made you sit back down, slumping against your bag and hoping Daehyun would be back with you shortly._

_He didn’t and you grew frustrated. What were you waiting for? You didn’t **need**  to solve this problem in person, right? You could have simply gotten Simon from accounts to come and do this on your behalf. You had your own schedule that you had cleared this afternoon just to ensure this task was completed._

_The longer you waited, the more confused you became. Why had you come? It wasn’t as if you owed Daehyun anything, it was actually him who owed you. Further, why were you still here? You had no reason to wait on someone, even if their smile at you had made you stop in your tracks. Had that been it? The way Daehyun had smiled at you? You remembered back to how you had been in a good mood leaving the hospital because of his smiles as he had departed himself. Were you affected by such a simple charm?_

_You scoffed; you were too professional to fall for such a thing._

_Getting up, you picked up your bag and slung it over your shoulder with more force than needed. No one was paying attention to you, nor would they be interested in your mild tantrum._

_You went to turn on your heel, and that was when you heard him call your name._

_“Uh-uh-uh, mic test. Oh! Y/N hey, I’ll be with you soon.”_

_You turned to stare at him in front of the microphone stand, looking every part of a man who knew his place on that stage. You tilted your head all the same and he grinned at you sheepishly. “I’m sorry, just wait for me? Maybe you’ll enjoy the show.”_

_“What show?” you called out as the music started playing from the other members on the stage, your face cringing at the sound. It was too loud and it vibrated throughout your body. You heaved a sigh, you would wait outside. Moving again, you only took two steps before you were transfixed to your place._

_Daehyun had started to sing._

_You hadn’t expected a song to sound so intricate with a tone like his. He started out softly, whispering about a love he had lost. As the song progressed, so did his volume, the fluidity of his voice making your heart race. You had spun around at some point, staring right at him. And he had captured you there, his own eyes on yours, little smiles tugging at his lips as he continued to sing for you. No one else was standing there watching, it was just a show for you and when the music signed off abruptly, you were aware of the goosebumps all over your body. Could you really feel this affected by a song?_

_Daehyun leapt off the stage and came up to you, smiling at you warmly. “See, I told you I would come to you, didn’t I!”_

_You couldn’t respond to him right then, words weren’t forming properly. His expression softened and he watched you cautiously. “Are you alright?”_

_Without even thinking about it, you moved in to hug him, holding onto him tightly and felt your emotions ease as soon as you were against him._

_And when you felt his own arms wrap around you, it made you smile and bury in deeper._

_The flame of desire began._

 

“If you put another log on that fire you will kill it,” you informed Daehyun right as he threw the log, a groan leaving your mouth in the process. He darted his eyes between you and the fire, smirking when a flame continued up and slowly engulfed his excessive offering. Daehyun soon moved back to your side.

“You were saying?”

You pointed at the fire now promptly going out across the room. “You killed it.”

“Well, it’s not like I normally use a fire,” he stated exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in defeat. “We don’t have one back home.”

“Wasn’t it you who convinced me to come on this cabin retreat with you to kick up our Christmas spirit some more? Talking about making snowmen, playing out in the cold and then sitting in front of a fire drinking hot cocoa? Well, I’m sitting in front of an extinguished fire and I have no hot cocoa.”

“And you say I’m the bossy one in this relationship,” Daehyun quipped, kissing the top of your head before he moved over to the small kitchenette off to the side of the open cabin layout. He held up the water jug. “Would you like a hot cocoa, madam?”

“Of course,” you replied as you shifted to the fire. You used the tools to retrieve the smouldering log, setting it down on the hearth as you stoked up the rest of what was on the grate, smiling at the embers on the coals that promised hope. By the time Daehyun had made the beverages, you had rekindled the fire enough to know it would be roaring again soon.

Teamwork at it’s finest.

Daehyun glanced at the fire and then back at you. “You know, when my friends first met you they thought you weren’t right for me.”

“I remember distinctly that Amanda really didn’t like me,” you agreed, a sigh leaving your lips.

He chuckled as he shifted closer to you, reaching to hold your hand. “It’s because you came in wearing a pantsuit looking like a million dollars.”

“And?”

“Don’t  _and_  me, you judged us too,” he retorted and you pouted. “They didn’t think you knew what hard work was. Yet look at you now, able to save a fire that I put out. It’s why I love you.”

“Because I can fix fires?” you asked quizzically and he shook his head, nuzzling into your neck a little as he got comfortable.

“Because you surprise me all the time.”

**~Seven Months Earlier~**

_“Seriously, just let me in!”_

_You stared at the man banging on your glass office door and shook your head, widening your eyes at the scene he was causing. You weren’t in the mood to deal with Daehyun today._

_“Y/N, I’m not leaving until you open this door!”_

_You ignored his efforts, turning back to the pile of documents in front of you, doing your very best to block out his incessant knocking and chatter. You had been able to do so when you first met him, but since that day, you happened to hear **everything**  Daehyun said to you._

_Or about you._

_It had happened during the weekend, you had gone to see him play again, having become addicted to Daehyun’s soulful vocals. You had told him since you hugged him it was only because his song evoked emotion in you. And Daehyun had allowed you away with that excuse until the performance in the weekend. He had written a new song and as you listened to **Crash**  you realised it was directed at you. It had overwhelmed you so much that before he could say so much as one word to you backstage you had kissed him._

_And that night you had joined the after party for the first time, actually conversing with more than Daehyun, laughing and discussing many topics until it was early into the morning. You had been invited to brunch the following day at a café the band seemed to frequent and for the first time in years you experienced the feeling of butterflies dancing around in your stomach._

_You couldn’t believe this was happening to you._

_You were eager to see the band again, and Daehyun. You saw them inside the coffee shop and beamed, heading inside and up to the table right as you heard your name in amidst the conversation._

_“Dae, she’s just too different for you mate. Are you sure you want to be messing with her?”_

_“What do you mean? Y/N is awesome,” he had defended and you smiled, only to look at the next person who spoke._

_“Bet Daddy will pay you off to leave her alone in a month’s time. Honestly, she’s not from our world. She’s a princess who has an important job and you’re just some novelty she’s picked up temporarily. Girls like Y/N have to marry guys in CEO roles. You’re a singer, stop kidding yourself that this could be something special. I bet she couldn’t even put in a hard day’s work of manual labour.”_

_You stepped up to the table then, squaring your jaw and glared at everyone in front of you. “Not that I should humour this conversation, but you’re entirely wrong about me.”_

_“Is that so?” Amanda, the girl who worked as sound tech asked, her eyes challenging you._

_“Y/N,” Daehyun started but you raised a hand in his direction, unable to even look him in the eye. Your emotions were barely held back to get what you had to say out._

_“My family owns an apple orchard. I spent my entire life studying and helping on the farm until I came to Seoul. I lived in a shoebox of a studio where I held three part-time jobs and put myself through university. And then, I worked damn hard to get where I am, without **Daddy’s**  help. My father couldn’t send me to university, let alone get me to the position I’m in. And I’m grateful for all the hard work that paid for every single suit in my closet. You are right about something though, I don’t belong here, not because of my upbringing or lifestyle, but because none of you were truly honest in giving me a chance.”_

_And with that you had spun on your heel, ignored Daehyun who came after you, and sped all the way home, knowing that you wouldn’t dare socialise again. You vowed that the only music you would listen to would be classical, nothing with grunt or power like Daehyun’s voice held. You would forget all about the man who had worried about you for no reason at all, and return back to the time before the accident._

_Daehyun’s banging was proving difficult to ignore though. You groaned and thumped your hands on your desk, wondering how someone could be so stubborn. Glaring at the man pressed against your door, you walked over to him, unlocked the door and he fell in, stumbling into you in the process._

_“You need to leave and not come back.”_

_“Not until you listen to me,” he breathed heavily and you clamped your eyes shut to calm yourself down. “If you just returned my call-”_

_“You don’t understand, I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”_

_“So listen then,” he stubbornly retorted, and you shot him another glare. His eyes were just as hard, and you wondered who would back down first._

_“Fine,” you eventually said, groaning inwardly at your defeat. You were curious about what his final words were going to be. Stepping over to the door, you shut it and pulled down the blind, turning to face him and waited for his verbal response._

_Instead his lips were promptly on yours and you froze, not understanding the situation you were in at all. You wanted to push him off and went to do so, gripping at his tee in both your hands. But then Daehyun deepened the kiss and you seemed to simply anchor yourself there instead, your mouth finally moving against his until you were gasping for air._

_He smiled warmly at you when he pulled away, brushing the hair out of your face. “Don’t push me away; I know there’s something special here. I want to get to know you more. Please.”_

 

His lips moved onto yours again and you smiled, nuzzling him with your nose before pulling away. Daehyun looked down at the gift he had just opened and grinned. “Thank you, I love it.”

“Are we seriously going to kiss each other for every gift under this tree?” you asked as you glanced back at the many presents left to go. You had only each opened three and there had been endless kisses this morning so far. Daehyun fingered the collar of your matching pyjamas and feigned innocence.

“I thought it was you who was the one who started this though?”

You clamped your eyes shut momentarily, letting out a huff of air at his need to be right. You  _had_ technically kissed him for your first present, yes. But then he had continued and you weren’t going to stop either – neither of you knew when to back down from a proposition.

It wasn’t your fault your boyfriend had kissable lips either.

“If you kiss me after opening your next present, you have to admit you’re enjoying this start to our first Christmas together too much,” Daehyun continued and you lifted your chin high, determined to succeed in  _not_  having to admit anything. Your boyfriend handed you another present and you purposely looked him in the eye, smiling as you opened it up.

And then you froze. It was unexpected to see the necklace inside of the box, a love heart pendant that held the letters of both your first names etched into it. You had received jewellery from Daehyun before, but this was different.

You could feel yourself growing emotional.

“You purposely gave me this so you knew I would have to admit it, didn’t you?” you asked as you shot him a watery smile and he shrugged playfully.

“Do you like it?”

“No, I hate you.”

Daehyun chuckled and pulled you into his arms. “I love you too, baby.”

You heaved a steadying breath before you reached for his lips again, kissing him deeply before you pulled back, cupping his face in your hands. “Thank you for crashing into my world, Daehyun.”

“Thank you for not reversing out of mine,” he replied, brushing the hair away from your face and placing the necklace around your neck. You picked up the pendant and held it for a moment, before nestling into his side.

“Merry Christmas.”

“You too, baby. Our first of many.”

You smiled and handed him another present, knowing that you would be kissing all day and night long now.

And definitely all the way up until next Christmas too.


	3. Family (Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
>   
> 

_**I purposely chose to change the names of Mark’s siblings because I didn’t feel comfortable writing them into this story as they’re not famous/idols themselves. I used a random name generator to name them as well, so they might not match well to their personalities, but I feel much better sharing this without using their real names.**_

* * *

 

As the plane descended towards the tarmac, you took a deep breath. Not because you anticipated the landing of your flight, but rather, your trip to California had gone faster than you expected.

You weren’t prepared for what was waiting for you.

Mark took your hand out of your lap then, giving it a gentle squeeze. You glanced at the man next to you and sighed softly. He knew you too well, and you couldn’t hide your anxiety from him.

“I’m excited too,” you told him weakly as the plane hit the runway and Mark smiled at you.

“You’re allowed to be anxious, even though you know my family don’t bite. This is a big thing for us as a couple, right?”

You nodded.

The last two and a half years of falling in love with Mark had been the best. You hadn’t realised what you were missing in your world until he walked in and filled those spots effortlessly, the whirlwind of your love soon meeting all the important milestones – the first intimate moments, the I love you’s, moving in together and now it was time to spend Christmas together for the first time. Your first two Christmases were spent apart as you celebrated with family, spending New Years together instead. And whilst that was working as you grew accustomed to living in each other’s worlds, it made sense with how far into your relationship you now were to want to be together on the most magical day of the year.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be here with Mark this year either. Of course, you had frequently imagined waking up in Mark’s arms on Christmas morning, lazily greeting each other with words and kisses, before getting up to open presents together. Every year so far you had just video chatted instead, enjoying the festivities together through a small screen. You were excited to experience everything in real time at his side this year.

But it was a big thing to be halfway around the world and not with your family too. You had already celebrated a pre-Christmas get together before hopping on the plane to LA, and you had to admit, having Mark at your side as you caught up with your relatives was really satisfying. You knew they all adored him and had high hopes for your future together. You saw how seamlessly he fitted in with your family, playing with your niece and conversing with your brother and cousin for hours on end about gaming. You had dreamed of this for so long that it made your heart full knowing how easily you could imagine this continuing.

But Mark already knew most of your family before the get together. You often went and had dinner with your parents, and sometimes babysat your niece together when your brother and his partner were busy. Your family was all close to where you lived, making it accessible to slowly introduce Mark into their world.

It was different with Mark’s family.

You had met his parents when they came to visit throughout the years, and you got along with them well. They treated you as if you were family already, and it encouraged you to open up more to them with each visit. But he had a bigger family than you. Thus, there were a lot more people to meet. From the video calls you had each Christmas so far, his house was always busy. Christmas was a grand affair for the Tuan’s, with extended family and friends all coming over for dinner, and enjoying the activities well into the night. You were worried about showing your best side to those who didn’t know you yet.

It didn’t help that Mark had casually let it slip that you were going to be the first girl he had ever brought home for any special holiday outside of his close friends. This was a big deal, even if he didn’t seem to think so.

It was all you could focus on during the entire flight, and you were still thinking about it as you took your carry on luggage from Mark’s grasp. Your heart was racing when you walked at his side towards the arrival gates, smiling weakly at him whenever he squeezed your hand.

“Keep breathing, it’s alright,” he instructed softly into your ear before you stepped out to find his waiting family. You expected just his Mum and Dad, maybe a sibling or two.

You weren’t prepared.

You didn’t need to look around far to find them, a gathering of people off to the side with signs held up and cheering leaving their lips at sight of you both. You glanced up at Mark with a surprised gaze before you headed over to where the Tuan family stood, instantly being engulfed in the arms of various people.

“Oh my goodness you’re even prettier in real life!” Libby, his older sister, oozed as she hugged you warmly.

“It’s so nice to see you again, sweetie,” his Mum then greeted, not letting you even get one word out in response to his sister. It carried on in this fashion until you were certain you had been handed around to everyone who came to welcome your arrival. Finally, you were back in Mark’s care, his arm slung around you loosely as you walked with him to the exit in a stupor. There was too much noise and bustle for you to take in and you were overwhelmed.

In a _good_ way.

You finally smiled, allowing yourself to enjoy the experience. It sure was different from back home, but you liked it.

 

 

You were immediately given an important task upon arriving at the Tuan household – to be their guest. You were asked by more than one member of the family if you needed anything, and then given a house tour by Mark’s Dad before being delivered to Mark’s bedroom, your boyfriend already in there with your luggage bags. He grinned at you before coming over to give his Dad another hug.

“Taking good care of my girl?” he asked and his Dad chuckled.

“Your? No son, it’s _our_ now, our girl. Right, Y/N?”

You giggled as he shot you a wink and then told you to rest up for an hour before coming down for dinner.

And as much as you were getting used to being around a bunch of different people, you finally found yourself taking your first steady breath when he closed the door. Mark smirked at your reaction and pulled you into his arms. “Still overwhelmed?”

“A little,” you admitted and he chuckled. You smiled at how much he reminded you of his Dad then. You buried into his embrace further, inhaling his cologne which helped you relax further. It was like the scent represented being home. You loved nothing more than being in Mark’s arms.

“My family like you,” he mentioned, stroking at your hair. “A lot.”

“You already can tell?” you asked as you lifted your head up out of his chest and Mark took advantage of the action, leaning down to kiss you tenderly before he nodded. “Really? We haven’t been here long! I was so nervous trying to answer all of Jack’s questions in the car.”

“You did well to answer them all,” he assured, kissing the top of your head. “And Bella thinks you fit in the family well, which you do. Mum’s already lining up to get your help with baking Christmas cookies tomorrow.”

“Oh god, what if I accidentally poison you all?”

Mark shook his head as he laughed again. “Then I’ll die happy because you’re here with me this year.”

“Uh oh, sappy Mark has arrived,” you noted and Mark leaned in to nuzzle you with his nose affectionately.

“You love sappy Mark.”

“I love all of you,” you replied, feeling a sudden need to speak up how you felt. Mark’s smile faded as you stared up at him. “Even though this is all a lot, I’m happy I came with you. This is going to be our best Christmas yet, right?”

He nodded, kissing your lips briefly. “We’ll be welcoming in the new year in the best of moods, I’m sure of it.”

“Let’s get through Christmas first,” you suggested and then pulled away from him, finally looking around his bedroom. It was your first time seeing his personal things from his upbringing and you smiled as you shifted around the room. “So this is where you grew up.”

“I mean this wasn’t the only home I lived in, but it’s a pretty nostalgic room for me,” he replied, coming over to pick up one of his Math accomplishments. “Now you get to see how much of a nerd I was too.”

“Oh, I already knew that,” you answered with a smile, lightly brushing your hands over the books on his shelf. You then glanced at him. “I live with you, if I didn’t know what a dork you are-”

“Hey! A dork and nerd are two different things!”

You nodded in agreement, amused. “Is there anything I need to know about in this room? Any juvenile secrets to uncover?”

“How comfortable the bed is,” he quipped with a smirk and you rolled your eyes.

“I think we need to go down and help with dinner now, what do you think?”

“You won’t be helping, baby. You’re the guest of honour tonight; it’s going to be all about you.”

 _Great_.

Just as you were starting to feel at ease in his home, Mark had to throw you another reminder of how overwhelming today was turning out to be.

You took a deep breath and pointed at the door. “Shall we?”

 

 

The two days leading up to Christmas were full of activity with the Tuan family. They had taken you to see snow up in the mountains just in case you were feeling out of place with their lack of a White Christmas. And there was the endless meal prep which you insisted on helping with, becoming quite the little unit with Mark’s Mum, Libby and Bella within the kitchen space. You were laughing more than you had ever done in your life, you were certain about it, and by the time you had rolled into bed on Christmas Eve, you felt as if you had lived here forever. Your anxiety had eased the longer you sat curled up on the sofa talking with Mark and his Dad, or learning all about your boyfriend and his childhood antics from the three main women in his world. As a family, you had all decorated the only bare tree in the house as per Christmas Eve tradition, and you had welled up when they handed you an ornament with your name on it. You knew that you would enjoy Christmas day now; you were truly a member of their family as soon as you hung it up on the tree near Mark’s. And much like Mark had been with your niece, you yourself were smitten with the children in his family, playing with the girls and Mark all over the house after decorating the tree.

You had earned your sleep that night.

And as Santa and his reindeer set out around the world to deliver presents and Christmas spirit to all, you dreamed of a life where trips like these would happen more frequently in the future, but with new additions to come. You woke up with a smile on your face as the lingering visions of little children that looked like you and Mark slowly left you. As your eyes adjusted to the morning light infiltrating the room, you gazed at the sleeping form of the man you loved. Mark had no idea just how much you wanted forever with him at that moment, and it was such a magical experience to stare at him knowing that you were imagining everything a future could hold with him.

These thoughts alone were enough for you this Christmas.

He soon stirred, perhaps he had felt your inner desires overwhelm the bedroom, Mark’s eyes slowly opening as a lazy grin grew upon his face.

“Merry Christmas, Mark,” you greeted and he nodded once, rubbing the sleep away from his warm brown eyes.

“Merry Christmas baby.”

“Are you ready for today?”

“Are you?” he shot back with a small smirk, brushing your bed hair away from your face. You turned to nuzzle into his hand, kissing his wrist lightly before nodding.

“I’m excited about everything today.”

“Me too. I’m so glad I get to do everything with you at my side this year.”

“What’s first on the schedule for the Tuan household?” you wondered, sitting up a bit. Mark did the same and helped you scoot in between his legs, his arms wrapping around you as he rested his head on your shoulder.

“Breakfast in pyjamas. It’s a family tradition.”

You nodded slowly. “And then?”

“Present time. Then we’ll get a couple of hours before it gets kind of hectic here.”

“Okay,” you said, feeling determined. “Let’s do this.”

Breakfast had been delicious and now everyone was seated around the family room opening presents. The kids had gone first and were now playing with their new toys merrily across the room as the adults all opened their own gifts, exclamations and thank you’s filling the room. You had opened a lot of presents already, some for you only, others for you and Mark as a couple. There was only one present missing from under the tree, and as you watched his parents open gifts from each other, or Bella and her wife doing the same, it had you peering at the now bare spot under the tree for where your present might have gotten misplaced. Mark had already opened his from you and put the watch on happily, marvelling at it every few moments and kissing you in gratitude on the side of your head.

You weren’t a petty person naturally but you were a little miffed when present time was over.

“Everything okay, Y/N?” Libby asked you as you glanced under the tree again, your gaze darting away immediately with her attention. She seemed to click on to your search and shot her brother an accusing look. “I haven’t seen a gift from you to Y/N!”

“Oh, it’s fine-”

“It’s not arrived yet,” Mark announced awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his neck. His eyes only connected with yours momentarily before he looked down at your hands in your lap instead. “I’m sure it’ll get here before the year is out.”

“I’ve been spoiled enough,” you stated, smiling at everyone and trying not to let your curiosity build.

 

 

Christmas had been eventful and had taken two full days to completely recover from. Life in the Tuan household seemed to settle down some with family returning to their respective homes, though they still visited most days. You had been so wrapped up in enjoying your final days in California with Mark’s family that you had almost forgotten about the elusive Christmas present that hadn’t arrived yet.

Almost.

As you woke up on New Year’s Eve in Mark’s arms, you stared at the wall in front of you. Everything had been so perfect; you couldn’t choose your favourite time out of any experience so far. But it was your last full day here in California and you had a small nagging feeling that it was the missing gift that had made Mark uncharacteristically anxious around you, and not the impending flight back home and away from his family.

You wanted to put him at ease, to let him know it was okay. Because it truly was. You had been gifted with so much this holiday, from him and his family. You felt a sense of belonging in your “second home” now, and you were already planning when you could come back for another visit.

You didn’t want Mark to feel distant with you on the last day of the year.

He evaded you for most of the day, helping his Dad and brother set up for the small gathering tonight to bring in the New Year together. And you had been equally busy assisting where you could as well before a surprise trip to a spa was sprung on you, going off to get your hair and makeup done for tonight. It was crazy how this family did things, but you were getting used to it. With the knowledge of being a part of their annual family photo this year, you forgot all about your worries, now focusing on looking good tonight instead.

The party was well underway before you got some alone time with Mark but it was short lived when a childhood friend of his dragged him away again. You felt cold, wondering why he would so easily shrug you off. It felt like a different Mark from the one who was glued to you regardless of who came up to you both on Christmas day, and his efforts to get you under the mistletoe all night long left you both in a playful mood that had extended well into the night within his bed too. Since that night though, he had been too distracted and it was beginning to hurt.

You wondered if you were reading into things too much and wandered out into the terrace by yourself for some fresh air, enjoying the brisk wind that caught at your dress and made it swirl around you.

“Oh Y/N, here you are,” Mark’s dad suddenly said and you turned to see the older man smiling brightly at you. “I’m glad to find you here. I wanted to make a toast with you. Hold on, stay right here and I’ll go get you a glass.”

You agreed to wait and stared around the area mindlessly, gasping when it suddenly lit up with thousands of fairy lights. You gasped at the beauty of it all, and then noticed someone was approaching you, but it wasn’t who you expected. Mark smiled at you warmly, rubbing a hand over your cheek before he licked at his lips.

“This is so pretty,” you breathed and he nodded. “I wonder who turned them on?”

“I did.”

You stared at Mark for a moment and then realised what he was up to. It was only more obvious when he dropped to one knee in front of you.

You wanted to say you heard all the words he was uttering to you. But your mind was shouting out the answer your heart was giving you endlessly, the positive affirmation near deafening you until you suddenly said it aloud, making Mark pause midway in his proposal. He stared at you for a moment before he grinned, getting up as he pulled a box out of his pocket.

“Always too hasty to let me finish,” he muttered, but he was too elated to truly be mad at you, sliding the ring onto your finger. You marvelled at how perfectly it fit and then up at your _fiancé_.

It was going to take some time to get used to that.

There were claps now erupting around you both and you glanced to see everyone watching on, a blush crossing Mark’s face as he scratched at the back of his head with all the attention. Just like the first time you arrived in California, you spent the next hour being passed around, enjoying the jovial mood of the last night of the year and your proposal. It was honestly the best way to end the year and your trip with Mark. The countdown towards midnight was five minutes out, and you knew you had to ask the man holding you in his arms a question that had been floating around in your head all night long.

“This is my Christmas present that went missing, isn’t it?”

“We had to trick you somehow,” he mentioned slyly and you gasped, now realising how many were in on it. You guessed Libby’s comment was only to plant the seed of doubt within you on Christmas day.

“You have no idea what I was saying to you, do you?” he asked of you a minute later and you blushed, nodding weakly. “Maybe you don’t deserve to know.”

“I figured since I know how well you like to prepare for things, you’ll be able to tell me all about those words at a later date?”

“I will, every day from here out,” he agreed, kissing your head as he pulled you closer. “I can’t wait until you’re my wife.”

“I can’t wait until we have kids too.”

“Christmas will be magic with them here and back home with your family too.”

“Christmas will always be magic,” you mentioned, turning around in his arms so you could stare up at him. “Because I’ll always be with you.”


	4. Newlyweds (Kyungsoo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything about Christmas this year felt different.

You had been with Kyungsoo through five of them so far, and whilst each year had been rewarding in their own way, this time was special.

It was your first Christmas after getting married.

You had believed you’d never be that kind of couple who suffered from the cheesy yet endearing honeymoon stage of marriage. After all, you had been living with Kyungsoo for three years before you finally tied the knot last month. Nothing physically changed about your living arrangements to swoon over. You had owned your own home before marriage, and you still did afterwards.

But there was still this unexpected magic that had filled your lives ever since you had uttered  _I do_  in front of all your family and friends that had rolled over from the honeymoon in Italy, and continued into daily life as the year approached the festive season.

So when you mentioned to Kyungsoo you needed to pull out the Christmas décor the week before December arrived, instead of nodding mindlessly at you as he read over some work details, he smiled widely, hopping up from the sofa and pointed to the storage closet in the hallway. “Shall we get it out now, baby?”

“Are you free to?”

“We could even put the tree up. I know how much you love Christmas time,” he said, moving past you and into the hallway. Before he could open the door to retrieve it, you wrapped your arms around his waist and smiled up at him giddily.

“Have I mentioned how lucky I am to have the best husband in the world?”

Kyungsoo’s lips twitched and his eyes shifted to yours, unable to keep himself controlled, a grin soon crossing his lips in delight. “No, I don’t think you have.”

“Well, I’m lucky you married me,  _husband_.”

“Who knew one word could be like kryptonite to me?” he murmured, kissing the top of your head before he pulled away from your embrace and opened the door.

He had continued smiling and kissing you throughout the process of putting up the tree, his playful side having you giggling endlessly. You loved his serious side where you could talk to him about anything, but having fun and letting loose with Kyungsoo made you immensely happy too. And as he danced you around your living room, you hoped that married life continued just like this.

As the first two weeks of December came and went, the magic of being married this year was still alive. You watched the cheesy Christmas movies together at night, and you picked out Christmas gifts during the day. You wrapped them together, wrote Christmas cards and even sent them all out hand in hand. It was like your dreams had really come true. You had dreamed that there would be nothing better in life than being Mrs Do and so far, everything felt renewed this year around. Even if you did the same things as last year, they didn’t feel like they did back then.

It could be down to the intimacy. Kyungsoo wasn’t naturally big on public displays of affection, yet this year he didn’t let you go once whenever you were out. He eyed you up lovingly whenever you sat across from each other at coffee shops or out for dinner, and he had you firmly in his embrace as you waited in line to get into the ice rink. Despite being busy with work, the activities of this year together kept your schedule packed and your heart warm during the winter cold.

And at night, when it was time to slip under the sheets of your marital bed, there were a lot of times where sleep came  _much later_  into the early morning than you had initially planned for it.

Life was balanced with love and the magic of the season.

When you came down with a cold a week out from Christmas you were disappointed. There were a couple of Christmas parties you had to attend, work needed to be wrapped up before you went on break, and your family was expecting you to come and prepare for your annual get-together. Just thinking about it all made you shrink back beneath the covers after turning off the alarm and close your eyes. If you fell back asleep and then woke up again, there could be a very good chance you might not wake up sick.

It was a feeble attempt when you sniffled with your seemingly blocked nose upon opening your eyes.

“Have one day in bed,” Kyungsoo instructed, ignoring the excuses of your schedule. He kissed you gently before hopping out of bed, telling you that as his wife you had to listen to him about this. It made you smile, he had never controlled you once in your life, and you knew he wouldn’t be able to in marriage either. But it was endearing all the same, to the point that you hadn’t moved during his entire shower. He returned and looked at you, shocked. “You listened to your husband?!”

“Just this once,” you confirmed as he chuckled.

“It’s Christmas time, if you rest now, you’ll feel better tomorrow and then on the big day you’ll be back to normal and able to keep up with both our families’ activities.”

“You’re right, all I’ll need is one day to get back to fighting fit!”

 

 

You woke the following morning feeling worse. Your body ached and you were certain if you moved you would be throwing up. There wasn’t anything enchanting about this week at all, and you wished you hadn’t used up so much of the magic from earlier in the month so you could cash it in now. You had gotten too wrapped up in the whirlwind everything had been since getting married that reality dawning on you before the year was out felt bittersweet.

You managed to get through work despite the thumping in your head and Kyungsoo had cancelled going to a work party that evening to hold you in his arms and smother you in love and cold medicine.

It still didn’t ease up the following day and you were frustrated, heading into the pharmacy after work, wanting to buy anything they could offer you to help you feel back to full health by Christmas day. You were desperate not to spend your Christmas slumped over the porcelain bowl in either of your parents’ homes.

After listing off your symptoms to the clerk, she chewed at her lip hesitantly, making you wonder why she wasn’t shoving drugs over the counter at you. She pasted on a professional expression and smiled at you. “Have you considered all options, ma’am?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I don’t mean to overstep my boundaries but some of your symptoms could be related to another condition. Are you sure you want me to put everything I can think of together for you?”

Nodding immediately, you shot her a grateful look. “Everything, please. Christmas can’t continue with me under the weather like this.”

When you got home, you took off your heavy coat that felt like it weighed a tonne and then slowly made your way with your drugstore bag into the bathroom, going over to the basin cabinet to pull out the medicine container. Kyungsoo liked to keep all the drugs in the one place so you both knew where to access anything you may need, and you tiredly pulled out the packages one after the other, finding spots to store them in before your hand grabbed at a larger box.

Curious, you slipped it out and then gasped when you saw what she had put in the bag. Staring at the pregnancy test, you frowned at her mistake. You were sick, not pregnant. Your body ached and you felt blocked up and heady. You were throwing up sporadically through the day and didn’t want to eat.

That meant you were only sick, right?

The longer you stared at the test, the further you were convinced you had to rule it out. You had slept with Kyungsoo a lot since getting married, and if you were pregnant, it would have occurred sometime during the honeymoon.

Your mind slipped back to how little you saw of the outside of your hotel some days and hurried to open the box.

After following the instructions, you sat through the longest three minutes of your life before you picked up the test, your eyes widening at the answer. Diving under the sink for the small pile of tests you keep on hand from any previous false alarms, you tested three more times to receive the same answer.

You weren’t sick, you were pregnant.

 

 

After the initial shock wore off, you planned on how to tell your husband. Children had always been a given between you, but you had hoped to spend at least a year married before trying. Now that you were with child though, you reminded yourself you had already spent five years as just the two of you. It was the right time to become a family of three in less than nine months.

You had watched countless videos of how to tell your husband you were pregnant and studied them as if your life depended on it. And you started to write out a list of things you would need to gather in time to surprise Kyungsoo on Christmas Eve. That way you could tell the whole family the big news the following day together.

It was all perfect, really.

And when Christmas Eve rolled around, you anxiously waited for Kyungsoo to come home that evening, your small gift box sitting behind you on the table. He arrived shortly after you expected him to, carrying a cake box with him as he approached you. He placed it down before giving you a small kiss in greeting, smiling at you warmly as you eyed the box he had brought home.

“What’s this?”

“I thought we could celebrate it being our first Christmas Eve together,” he mentioned with a small smile, his eyes watching your reaction intently. When he saw you tear up, he grinned. “Another good score in the husband department.”

“I think I can top yours though,” you told him nervously, gently guiding him to sit down in front of the gift-wrapped box you had prepared. Kyungsoo glanced up at you quizzically.

“What’s this?”

“Open it and find out.”

He slowly did as you told him, taking off the bow as he shot you little looks in between opening it. He was driving you crazy with how much he was savouring the moment and you almost ripped it out of his hand to present to him with your news.

He finally opened the box and stared in for a moment, too stunned to say anything. You waited with bated breath for his first words, Kyungsoo blinking rapidly as the tears fell from his eyes.

“You need to open that,” he gestured to the box, his tone huskier due to his emotions.

To say you were a bit put out by his reaction – or lack of one – was an understatement but you moodily opened the cake box, glaring down at the cake for only a second until you read what it said on top.

_I already knew._

Staring at Kyungsoo, you then pointed at the cake. “What?”

“He shook the box he was pulling the pregnancy tests out of one at a time and grinned. “This.”

“No, no you didn’t!”

He nodded firmly, smiling down at the little gender-neutral onesie you had placed in the box too. “I knew you were pregnant. I also knew you would try to surprise me so I prepared my own little rebuttal.”

“You, wait, how did you know?!”

“I had my ways,” he said with another knowing smile, looking far too pleased with himself for surprising you.

You didn’t know whether to be annoyed or enjoy the double surprise.

It then dawned on you and you sighed heavily. “I used our card to buy the onesie.”

“And you left your diary open when you fell asleep with your browser open watching  _how to tell your husband you’re pregnant_ videos the other night,” he added on casually, a small groan leaving you at your slip up. Kyungsoo chuckled and got up, encircling you with his arms affectionately.

“I just wanted to surprise you,” you mumbled with a pout, hugging him all the same.

“And I was surprised. Really, I was.”

“You were?” you asked, lifting your head up to see him nod at you genuinely. It made you smile for only a moment. Then you pouted again. “I wish I could have seen your reaction.”

“My jaw fell and I had to grip at the desk you were sound asleep on,” he answered immediately, knowing your incessant need for details. Kyungsoo sighed in content as he hugged you tighter. “Then I worried about how sick you had been and all the medicine I fed you during that time and if it could affect our baby.”

You knees promptly gave way at the words  _our baby_.

“So dramatic,” he mused as he held you up in his arms, grinning down at you now silently crying. Kyungsoo brushed the hair away from your face and then pecked your lips lightly. “Thankfully none of them will be harmful to our foetus but on the off chance, I’ve booked us an appointment for the day after Christmas to go make sure everything is okay.”

“You really know how to look after everything,” you told him and Kyungsoo nodded, proud of his efforts.

“What can I say, I take my husband and now father role seriously.”

“Okay, that’s enough! Before I melt away and there’s nothing to celebrate tomorrow because I’ve gone with how sweet you are to me.”

“Talking of sweet,” he started, leaning towards the table and then returned with some frosting from the cake on his finger. He grinned as he placed it precisely on the tip of your nose. “We have cake to celebrate with now.”

You couldn’t be mad because you grabbed for some of the frosting yourself, smearing it down his cheek with a giggle. You then chased each other around the living room giggling and shrieking until he caught you and pulled you back towards him, hugging you from behind and resting a hand affectionately over your stomach.

“Merry Christmas baby,” he said and you smiled warmly, before turning your head a little to look up at him.

“Hang on, who was that addressed to? Me or our baby?”

“I’ll leave it up to you to decide upon,” he teased and you nodded, leaning back into him so you could reach up for his lips.

“Merry Christmas, my husband.”

“Still the best one in the land?”

“I’ll think about it,” you told him, his laughter hitting your ear as he rubbed at your stomach happily.

You were certain this wasn’t going to be your best Christmas together after all. But that was okay. Next year you’d be parents  _as well_  as a married couple.

And you couldn’t wait to experience that magic of that.


	5. Children (Taekwoon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You had always wanted children with Taekwoon and you had known in the early stages of dating him that he’d make the perfect father. When you welcomed your daughter Sunhee into the world two years after marrying him, you knew you had made the right assumption. He was as attentive and proactive in his approach to parenting as you expected from him. You were a great team and because of this, you were certain that’s why it didn’t take long to get her into a good routine. Despite being first-time parents, you had everything under control.

Except on Christmas day.

On Sunhee’s first Christmas, she was only four months old. You had dreamed of this moment for years, of seeing the magic of your own childhood at this time of year being passed down to your daughter. The presents were packed up under the tree and you went to bed on Christmas Eve excited for the following morning.

Cut to the morning being in full swing with your family over, and a crying baby who wouldn’t settle because there was too much going on.

“She’s too young to remember it anyway,” Taekwoon reasoned, despite being disappointed as well. “She’ll love getting the toys one at a time as she progresses in age. There’s always next year.”

 

 

Sunhee had handled her first birthday’s festivities extremely well the following year, and you and Taekwoon had high hopes that this Christmas she would discover the magic of Santa. You read her books about him coming down the chimney, and you watched endless Christmas movies. She loved the Christmas tree so much that all the ornaments in her reach had to be shifted up and then the whole tree had to be placed up higher so she wouldn’t pull it down trying to reach for the lights.  

Christmas was looking promising this year.

“I’m so excited for her to have her first photo with Santa,” Taekwoon mentioned as you waited in line outside the Christmas grotto with Sunhee dressed in the cutest little sparkle dress. Taekwoon had insisted on Santa meeting a Christmas fairy today. What Santa didn’t expect was the fairy to scream and kick him in that giant belly full of jelly because he frightened her so much. You managed to get one semi-decent shot before you wrangled your child away from causing any further damage to Santa and sighed heavily as you approached Taekwoon and placed her back in her stroller.

“Have we scarred her in any way over Christmas?” you asked him as you headed back to the car and he shook his head.

“Apparently I liked Santa until I met him in person for the first time too. It’s common for kids to fear Santa; he’s a stranger after all. She’ll understand him next year. Besides, on Christmas day Santa has already been and gone. Sunhee will love opening her presents and celebrating with us properly this year.”

You were hopeful your doubts would be erased, but as you held onto your now screaming child and rocking her quietly in her bedroom away from the Christmas day happenings, you wondered if you would ever get to see her enjoy Christmas. Maybe you just had to accept that your childhood memories of the magical world your parents created for you were just not going to be enjoyed by your daughter.

 

 

You were prepared for her third Christmas. You went at her pace, letting Sunhee take her own interest in the spirit of the season. This was made easier by the fact that the arrival of her little brother Sunwoon had chilled you out some this year. You hadn’t realised just how much you had wanted to be Super Mum all the time with Sunhee. The balance of having two children and keeping your house afloat meant you didn’t set up the Christmas tree right away and it was actually Sunhee who mentioned it first.

“Where’s the tree?!” she asked with a pout, pointing to the Christmas movie playing on the TV. She then looked towards where you as a family would usually decorate it, and folded her little arms in a huff over her chest. And when Sunhee pursed her lips, you couldn’t help but chuckle. She was so much like Taekwoon at times.

“Mummy and Daddy didn’t want to put up the tree until you were ready for it. Would you like us to put it up when Daddy gets home from work?”

Her head was bouncing up and down as she clasped her hands together and then started to jump around. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“What about seeing Santa this year, is he going to be too scary still?” you asked tentatively and her face lit up.

“Santaaaaaa~!”

“Maybe we could take you and baby brother to get your photo done too?”

“Mm! And can we make cookies?!”

“Christmas cookies?” you confirmed and Sunhee nodded her head again. You were now instinctively perched on the edge of the sofa, excitement rushing through you at her positive reaction. You grinned at your daughter. “We can go make them whilst Sunwoon takes his nap soon, how about that?”

You glanced over at your son staring up at his play mat’s dangling toys and smiled at how content he was. You had thought Sunhee was a chill baby, but Sunwoon definitely proved that the second baby is generally the easiest one. You reached down to bring him up into your arms and rocked him slowly, smiling at how your comfort made him nod off easily.

“Is he asleep yet?” Sunhee asked in a loud whisper, peering up at her brother and then back at you.

You chuckled. “Almost.”

“Good, I want to make cookies!”

“Make or  _eat_  them?” you asked her with a smile and she giggled behind her hand before bouncing back to the TV to watch the end of her movie.

You couldn’t wait to tell Taekwoon.

 

 

It was a different experience.

Sunhee had actively helped in setting the tree up, bouncing around the room with her Dad as he sung along to the Christmas songs playing in the background and eating copious Christmas cookies together. You beamed at the first tree you had decorated with her and as you took a photo of Sunhee standing in front of it, you blinked back your emotions as best as you could.

You could tell Taekwoon was pretty affected as well.

The trip to see Santa was different this year too, Sunhee jittering on the spot as she waited in her new Christmas fairy outfit, and eagerly bounded up to the man in red when he finally asked her over. She sat politely in his lap with still legs and even grinned at the camera when they told her it was photo time. The highlight was when Sunwoon didn’t stir from his slumber as you handed him to Santa and you got both your babies in the same shot. You couldn’t wait to receive the canvas print you ordered from the successful trip.

Sunhee soon understood her advent calendar, her excitement for Christmas increasing as each day passed and door was opened. She asked lots of questions about how Santa would get into the house and what food to leave the reindeer. For a two year old, she clued on pretty quick to all the answers you gave her, reminding Taekwoon that he had to take her to bed as quickly as he could so Santa could come and leave her and Sunwoon their presents.

Taekwoon grinned at you as he returned back to the living room after putting her to bed. “She’s completely out to it already. She kept telling me to hurry up and read the book faster so she could sleep. I only waited in there a few minutes and the excitement of tomorrow’s worn her out.”

“I used to be like that,” you admitted and he sat down beside you as you continued to nurse Sunwoon, Taekwoon’s lips brushing against the side of your head and you rested against him. You both stared down at your son and Taekwoon sighed.

“This will be our best Christmas yet with the kids. Sunwoon doesn’t even care and he’s older than Sunhee was when she had her first Christmas.”

“I finally feel like the magic of Christmas will touch down in this house and we’ll get to see what our parents did in us. I normally don’t make such a big deal about things the kids’ experience, but Christmas is the one thing that I hold dearly.”

“I know, me too. And they’ll experience everything we did, don’t you worry.”

“Sunhee already is. She told me earlier that she couldn’t wait to write Santa a thank you letter for all her presents.”

Taekwoon chuckled. “Maybe because she started late, we’ll get her to believe in Santa longer than others do?”

“I hope so; Christmas truly is magical when children are about.”

Taekwoon kissed you again, this time on the lips. “Here’s to having no crying from Sunhee tomorrow.”

“Don’t jinx us! It’s not Christmas just yet,” you chided your husband and he laughed. But you smiled all the same and nodded. “I think she’s going to love it.”

And so far, Sunhee had. She had woken up at the crack of dawn, screaming that Santa had been. You both groggily rose from your slumber at the toddler bouncing on the end of your bed about her findings and it didn’t take you long to become alert enough to see how wide-eyed your daughter was with pure excitement. It made the early wake-up call worth it.

As you checked on Sunwoon, Taekwoon took your eldest child out to the living room, telling her she had to wait until you came out before she could open anything. You could hear the impatience of the toddler and gently scooped up Sunwoon from his cot, bringing him out to the living room where Sunhee stood holding her first present and her eyes glued to the door. As soon as you stepped in, she tore at the wrapping paper gleefully, gasping at the present she had received.

“It’s a doll!”

“Wow, you got a new dolly, did you? Santa knew your wish-list so well,” you exclaimed, looking over at Taekwoon and sharing a knowing smile. You had finally gotten to the point in your family timeline where Christmas was no longer scary.

That was until Sunwoon was fed and properly awake.

As Sunhee danced around the house with her new princess crown on and a doll under each arm, Taekwoon had started welcoming over your family, and the house got louder. The music played and the presents were exchanged.

You could tell Sunwoon was overwhelmed when his Grandpa handed him his gift and he immediately threw it down on the floor and burst into tears.

“Oh no,” you murmured, holding your son close and shushing him gently. You glanced up at Taekwoon who merely shrugged sadly and Sunhee came over to your side with a very serious expression upon her little face. She looked at her brother and pointed a finger at him.

“Shh! It’s Christmas, we don’t cry today!”

If only she knew.


End file.
